"I attended an arts in business seminar by Be Smart About Art in January 2016 - Deborah Henry-Pollard was a key member of the panel of speakers. I was really impressed by Deborah's presence as a speaker (and I have seen many, many speakers) - she exudes sincere confidence, warmth and great passion for her subject(s). I found her captivating and would highly recommend her for public speaking events!"

Emma de Polnay

I speak at conferences and events for creative people, delivering interactive talks and workshops in person or via webinar. I also have a YouTube channel where I post Sparklers, short coaching vlogs.

Key speaking highlights include:

‘Making a Living as an Artist’ - section on Business Model Canvas, West Dean College

What is visioning and what is the point of it in your creative career?

In 10 years time, we will all be somewhere. Do you want to choose where you will be or just allow yourself to drift and hope for the best?

Knowing what you are setting out to achieve and how to articulate that so you will stand out amongst other similar professionals can seem like one of the hardest things to do when you set out on your independent career.

I use personal experience, case studies and relevant examples to show the benefits of creating a vision for yourself. These include self motivation, proactivity, engaging others and keeping focus. I will also lead you through an exercise to look at where you want to be in 10 years time.

The session is participatory and people should come prepared with pen and paper!

“I still feel as if I've had a caffeine injection from your session. It was quite extraordinary.”

Workshop participant

The Business Model Canvas

(Format: 2.5 hour workshop Maximum: 6 participants)

Do you have negative thoughts about business plans - you don’t understand them; you think they will constrict your creativity; you are frightened of them….?

Fear not! I will introduce you to the Business Model Canvas, a tool for creating, understanding and telling the story of your business/career. Using this and a fistful of sticky notes, this is an interactive session where you will get a chance to start creating the canvas for your own business. Start getting clarity for your professional practice; picture who you want to work with or how you want to be working.

This will give you a document which you can use on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to move you into action and help keep you on track.

The Business Model Canvas is a great tool that is used by organisations of many sizes from solopreneurs to global corporations. Whether you use this model or not, it will give you all the headings that you need to think about to put together a business plan.

“Just to let you know I’ve finished the course and cannot thank you enough for the recommendation, it has been a life changing experience … ploughing ahead and using what I learnt from your Business Model Canvas session at West Dean to do my business plan. So all in all, that course and coaching you did in an hour with me has been amazing.”

Workshop participant

“Loved the canvas work, given me so much structure”

Workshop participant

Playing the Status Game

(Format: 2 hour workshop Maximum: 20 people)

Throughout our working lives, we engage with people across many sectors and at different levels: from fellow creative professionals, clients and collaborators to funders, bank managers, corporate contacts and business suppliers. If you have ever wondered if you put yourself at a disadvantage if you don’t wear a suit to a business meeting or thought you have to turn into Lord Sugar when meeting the bank manager, this workshop gives an introduction to understanding the importance of ‘status’ in relationships and our communications with people. Status exists in all human transactions but we often remain unaware of its power or the effect that subtly transforming our status can have when communicating and relating to others. This practical experiential workshop will teach you how to become a ‘status expert’ by first discovering your own default status and then learning to adapt your natural style to different people and situations while remaining authentically yourself.

The workshop is participatory and people should come prepared to get involved.